Selected in the 3rd round last season, the former UC Davis star continued to show off his hot bat at short season Hudson Valley, batting .316 with 2 HR 41 RBI and 16 doubles. Jefferies make excellent contact at the plate by spraying line drives from foul line to foul line and working deep into counts. He has a tall and strong build, but his swing does not produce much loft at this time which mitigates his HR totals. Jefferies is a solid athlete as well with fringe average speed and good mobility behind the plate. He has shown himself to be adept at calling pitches and blocking balls in the dirt, but his arm is iffy and baserunners in the New York-Penn League exploited it by succeeding in 23 of 27 SB attempts. There is still a good deal of projectibility left in this 22 year old's skill set. The Rays believe that with some minor adjustments to his swing trajectory and release time, Jefferies will evolve into a very good big league receiver.

2009 Projection: Jefferies will get a crack at full season ball, probably with the Rays' new Low-A affiliate Bowling Green. There is some promise that Jacob can put up better power numbers in coming seasons. He drove in a good number of runs last season and did hit a good amount of doubles. Currently, Tampa Bay's organizational depth chart is devoid of any considerable catching talent. Jefferies, with a little refinement, has an opportunity to move quickly through the Rays' system, making him someone to watch over the next couple of seasons.